UPDATE 1.8.15: The Baha Mar Resort will open on MARCH 27 with reservations being accepted right now for the Baha Mar Resort and Casino, The Rosewood and the SLS Lux at Baha Mar. The Grand Hyatt should open shortly after that.

Well, that was fast. Just after we gave the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas our year-end award for Worst Hotel Hype, we learn there's a chance that the resort wonderland, which will have a Rosewood Hotel, an SLS Lux Hotel, a Grand Hyatt and a Baha Mar Hotel and Casino on property, may actually open in March. Break out the steel drums!

But don't start swilling the rum just yet.

While there are signs that part of the resort could open in March (like this one we found on the SLS Hotel's website, which says SLS Lux Hotel, March 2015), the Baha Mar website still is only accepting reservations for June 1 and beyond. The Grand Hyatt also posted on Facebook recently that they too were accepting reservations for June 1 and beyond.

Still, since Baha Mar was expected to open in December before delaying the opening until May, there's a very good chance, they could split the difference and open in March. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

It's that time of year again: the 2014 HotelChatter Awards! Today and tomorrow, we'll be showcasing the best (and worst) of hotels over the past year. But we couldn't do it without you! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or shoot us an email. And the Award goes to...

Usually, the Worst Hotel Hype award is given to a hotel or hotel brand who is constantly bragging about their upcoming property yet who consistently fails to deliver on the opening date.

For most of this year, we were convinced that Virgin Hotels would win this dubious award, what with their announcements of new Virgin locations but no description (not even a rendering!) on what a Virgin Hotel will be about. That all changed in October when an opening date for Virgin Hotel Chicago was announced (January 15) along with detailed information (an animated video, actually) on the design and amenities of a Virgin Hotel. With Virgin out of the running, we had to turn elsewhere.

While it looks like the Meliá Nassau at the Baha Mar resort complex in the Bahamas will still be opening in November, the Baha Mar resort as a whole will not actually open until May 2015. Previously, the resort, which is being billed as "The Bahamaian Riviera" was to open in December.

Indeed, a recent Facebook giveaway for the Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar hotel says the 5-day hotel stay awarded to the winner is only bookable after May 1, 2015. So that's probably a good idea of the actual opening date for the resort as a whole. Meanwhile, the Grand Hyatt's website says the property will open in Spring 2015. Maybe we can hope for an April opening? Interestingly, the Rosewood at Baha Mar'swebsite still says 2014 but that might change.

Either way, your plans for spending the holidays in the Bahamas at a new resort may have to be changed.

The multi-billion dollar resort wonderland that is Baha Mar in the Bahamas, is not scheduled to open until December but already there's so much to get excited about. We've shown you a sneak peek at the luxury Rosewood Resort and we've dished out the details on the forthcoming SLS Resort and now we've got some insight to the only upscale all-inclusive resort set to open at Baha Mar--The Meliá Nassau Beach.

Already, $19 million worth of renovations are underway on the former Sheraton resort. While the resort is actually open during the renovations, these should be complete by November and that's when the hotel will officially open as a Meliá.

This fall, the sprawling Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas will become a part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott. That means all of the resort's 3,400 rooms (including the super-luxe Cove rooms), 40 restaurants and bars and the 141-acre water park will now be bookable using Marriott Rewards points. Of course, you'll also be able to earn points with your stay too. (And hopefully, the resort will extend free WiFi to Marriott Rewards elite members.)

Atlantis will operate under a long-term franchise agreement with Marriott, who also provided a $100 million mezzanine loan to the resort. So this is a serious deal, not a "we'll try it out for a bit" situation.

And the partnership could not have come at a better time, or maybe it was orchestrated that way, since the nearby Baha Mar Resort & Casino and its resort wonderland is opening later this year and will surely draw folks away from Atlantis. But if you're a Marriott Rewards member with status, it may not make sense to go somewhere else.

Baha Mar just announced the switcheroo this morning of SLS taking over the operations of a 300-room property at Baha Mar which Mondrian was previously set to run.

Renowned for its high concept design aesthetic that fosters social engagement, SLS Hotels is the brand that introduced the idea of the hotel as a social experience. SLS at Baha Mar will feature 300 distinctively styled rooms that continue the brand's tradition of celebrating creativity, culture, fashion and art as part of the pursuit of our guests' passions.

Indeed, the Mondrian has been wiped from the website and the entryway of the SLS at Beverly Hills has been slotted in on the SLS page instead.

The resort and hotel wonderland that is Baha Mar, aka The Bahamian Riviera, is still under construction but today, we've got a sneak peek at one of the rooms at the Rosewood at Baha Mar, opening in December.

This is actually a rendering of what one of the 190-beach view rooms and suites will look like. Hello, turquoise sofa! And that massive headboard behind the bed actually does double-duty as a wardrobe.

The Baha Mar site has a few more renderings of the Rosewood's lobby, library and lobby bar which are done in the same "Caribbean luxe" decor. Think bright colors, airy spaces, mahogany wood accents and detailed furniture.

This morning we spent some time updating the Master Openings List but there's one update we're really intrigued by--The Baha Mar Resort, opening in December in the Bahamas with no less than FIVE different hotel brands inside. We knew it was gonna be big but this is crazy big.

In total, the complex, nicknamed the "Bahamian Riviera", will have a total of 2,900 hotel rooms and residences, a 100,000 square foot casino, an 18-hole, 72-par Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, an ESPA spa and more than a dozen pools. Plus, a 200,000 square feet convention center. We know, insane!

Of course, we're most interested in the hotels that will open and it's quite a mix. The five resorts are as follows:

Last Saturday, there was a fire in paradise at the One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas. Ten of the resort's 104 have been shut down due to damage by the fire. (Those rooms were located in the Crescent Wing.)

The cause of the fire, according to hotel officials, is said to be under “investigation” but a local news source, Tribune 242, says the answer is very simple: an eyewitness told the publication the hotel’s “Big Bang” fireworks show is the culprit.

Apparently, every so often, the resort has a major fireworks extravaganza and that night the $16,000 display caused wooden shingles on a roof to catch fire. It was ablaze for about 25 minutes before staff noticed and attempted to extinguish it. Authorities eventually arrived at the hotel around 11:30 pm and took just minutes to put out the remaining flames.

Just in case you missed out on National Tequila Day a few weeks ago (and we did not, tyvm), you have a whole 24 days to dedicate yourself to another unofficial-official holiday!

August is National Rum Month and thank goodness, because really, there isn't much to celebrate in these dog days, so we're all for anything that gives us a chance to sip Dark n' Stormy's, pursue pina coladas, and drink copious amounts of Cuba Libre's without judgement. We've always said we're patriotic folks, here at HC.

So, for the remainder of the month we'll highlight hotel's bars and restaurants paying homage to National Rum Month by serving classic cocktails or those with a twist. We'll even toss you a few recipes to recreate them at home because goodness knows, if you celebrate this holiday every single day, your wallet might hurt a bit.

BTW, if you find your budget liver can't handle a whole month of rum, know that August 16th is National Rum Day, so feel free to make that your day to pay homage to the pirates elixir used to ward off scurvy. You don't want scurvy, do you?!

Read on for a few places having a rumtastic time.

The Drink: Atomic Red Carrot Swizzle
The Hotel: U.S. Grant, San Diego, CAAs part of the swank Grant Grill's "Tails From the Patch" drink series, this unusual drink is made with Shellback Platinum rum, Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Atomic Red carrot juice, Chioggia Guardsmark beet, Grenadine, lime, bitters, and allspice dram. It comes with a beet garnish and looks like something you'd get out of a gym health bar. But a hit of that potent rum and you'll quickly realize this ain't no Jamba Juice.

Deals: you want 'em, and surprisingly, everyone has 'em. Take a look at some of the latest hotel deals going around the internet today from booking sites, social media sites, flash sale sites and more. Don't forget to scroll down to see the HotelChatter-approved deal either. Who knows? You might just find what you're looking for. (But don't forget to tell us about your stay!)

DEALS, DEALS, DEALS*

· OMNI HOTELS "SUMMER PASSPORT" DEALS: Omni Hotels has just launched their new "Summer Passport" deals which give 15 percent off rates at all their hotels. If you're a member of the Omni Select Guest program, you'll get up to 25 percent off room rates. The program is free to join so we say sign-up and then book your summer vacay. The deal is good from June 3-August 25 but there is limited availability and blackout dates do apply, depending on the hotel.

· W NEW YORK FOR UNDER $200 A NIGHT: We thought finding a hotel room in NYC for under $200 was damn near impossible. Yet we stumbled across this great deal on Expedia for the W New York on Lexington for June 14-17 for just $187 a night. Clearly, midtown on a weekend in the summer is the way to go if you want a hotel deal. Yes, it's in a small aka "Cozy" room and you will have to pay $15 and up for WiFi but still, it's well under $200 a night.

· TEACHERS, TREAT YOURSELF AT THE SAGAMORE IN MIAMI BEACH: Sagamore, The Art Hotel, in Miami Beach is offering teachers 20 percent off room rates with their "Teachers and Educators" package which is available through September 30. The deal also includes free WiFi. Rates start at as low as $175 a night. Teachers must show their teacher ID card upon check-in in order to get discount. The offer is also based upon availability and subject to blackout dates.

Like Disney World, there is nothing quite like it anywhere in the world. And like DisneyWorld, Atlantis has the power to strike fear in the hearts and minds of parents who shudder the thought of wearing adult mouse ears almost as much as they dread hemorrhaging endless streams of cash.

To complicate matters, Atlantis is hard to describe as it's so many different things rolled into one: a gorgeous five-hotel Caribbean island resort, a 140-acre Aquaventure water park, the largest open-air marine exhibit in the world complete with dolphin and seal habitats, countless beaches and pools, a casino, a true culinary scene with restaurants from Bobby Flay and Nobu Matsuhisa, a seriously pimpin’ marina, and more.

All the confusion can make it hard to wrap your head around a visit. Where should you stay? How should you spend your day? What’s awesome and what’s overrated? How expensive will it be? Is there a shred of hope for some adult downtime or is it a kid bonanza all day all the time? You might be tempted to throw in the towel.

Just back from a recent visit, we thought it was time—at long last—to demystify the epic resort. The ins and outs, the highs and lows, and every reason why we’ll be back, slide wedgie and all; find it here in our Atlantis Survival Guide.